Come on, you have a line, and if you don’t, the person behind you likely wishes you did.

As an avid Starbucks coffee drinker, and supreme embracer of the company’s mobile features, I was in position to review Starbuck’s new mobile app last week given its launch on March 19, but the NCAA games lured me away.

Should you get it? The perks associated with the Starbucks Rewards program, bevy of promotions and the convenience this app brings to my everyday routine, place it in my top 5 most used apps.

Recently Starbucks redesigned its mobile app, serving up digital tipping and shake to pay options. However the primary function of the app remains, the ability to pay using your mobile device, though only at participating Starbucks locations. I’ve been caught off guard at a Target store or two, which is a bummer given the app’s scan feature earns users free food and drink through the Starbucks Rewards program.

In addition to still being able to track these rewards, check balances, reload your card and even consolidate all those stocking-stuffer gift cards into one place, the new app now allows you to thank your baristas without having to scavenger hunt through your car console or pat down your back pockets.

The digital tipping feature is the biggest addition to the new Starbucks app. After paying you can select $.50, $1.00 or $2.00. If you forget, and now you’re on the train heading to work, you have up to two hours before the transaction closes out. Though I wonder if this window will become a security concern?

The only other negative I have to report is, even while the new Starbucks app still connects to Passbook, has the ability to email gift cards and notifies me of the free iTunes music download each week, the actual “content” on this app has been removed.

In a major effort to streamline this edition the entire menu is no longer. No more descriptions or favorites lists, not even a single nutrition fact.

Oh well. I bet the marketers at Starbucks have calculated that the customers religiously using the app already have their line down.

If the changes to the Starbucks app aren’t your cup of tea, New England favorite Dunkin’ Donuts of course has a mobile app. Similar to the Starbucks’ Rewards Plan, the app can be used with the DD Perks plan, which allows customers to earn points for every dollar spent.

Or if you like to brew at home, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has an app called K-Cup Finder, used to find hundreds of K-Cups including Tully’s and Barista Prima. Plus, when you share reviews with other K-Cup Finder users, you’ll receive promotions and discounts.

Since not every company recognizes March Madness as a holiday like Boston software company, Backupify, this week we’ll explore a mobile app to help you embrace the college basketball teams you love. Now even if you’re stuck behind an office desk, you’ll have unlimited access to the 2014 NCAA Division games.

Price: The APP is free, as is watching any of the CBS games, but please note you’ll need a TV subscription for games broadcasting on TBS, TNT and truTV. However, you can access a 3-hour live video pass.

You’ll never miss a game or feel wanting for the latest scores and stats with the official NCAA March Madness Live mobile app.

Schedules and brackets are clearly displayed, and clicking practically anywhere provides more in-depth information about the teams, players and individual games including a breakdown of the apps Four Factors of Success: shooting, turnovers, rebounds and free throws.

The NCAA March Madness Live app also keeps viewers extremely connected to social, gathering a stream of real-time Key Moments and Fan Chats across Twitter, Facebook and Google+ for each game.

Fans can also participate in the NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge by logging in to track picks and achievements, as well as schedule Notifications to stay up to date on the action.

But probably my favorite feature is the News section that houses a collection of beautifully produced short, shareable Video Recaps that provide highlights for each game - perfect for re-living that big shot!

As a commuter into Boston I confess I’m subject to the occasional parking ticket. Instead of being at the mercy of finding parking in Boston while trying to avoid late appointment arrivals, sometimes it actually makes more sense for me to park and pay the fine later. The next day when the violation is registered at City Hall, I typically log onto the City of Boston.gov website to pay the fine. However, I’ve now found a new way to repent for my parking sins by using the ZenTicket mobile app to pay my fee on the spot.

Platforms: Compatible w/ iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Optimized for iPhone5. TicketZen for Android is currently limited to Boston, MA for now. It’s also important to note TicketZen is only available in select cities.*

Should you get it? TicketZen made it to my iPhone home screen.

TicketZen is a mobile app that allows users to pay for parking violations quickly and conveniently, moments after collecting the ticket from their windshield.

“Citizens who have a Boston parking ticket, can download the TicketZen app (for iOS and Android) and use it to scan and pay their ticket in a few taps, said Cort Johnson.

Johnson is one of the founders of Terrible Labs, a small team of website and mobile application developers who created TicketZen after Kayak co-founder Paul English tweeted about wanting an easier way to pay Boston parking tickets.

To use, choose a city and scan the barcode on your ticket with your smartphone camera. Next select a payment option and TicketZen submits your payment to the city for approval.

This process costs $1, and takes up to 24 hours pending on when the parking employee uploads your ticket into the city’s database.

Through this partnership with city officials, TicketZen accesses Boston’s ticket database and notifies TicketZen users when the violation is available for payment. Users also receive a confirmation email from the city when their mobile payment is accepted and settled.

Repeat offender? The TicketZen app stores a user’s credit card information, negating the need to re-enter that string of digitals every time a payment is in order.

*TicketZen is currently available in Boston, Cambridge, MA, Washington, DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and State College, PA, with support for 100+ cities across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia to be announced soon.

“Over the next year, we plan to roll out TicketZen to many other cities across the US,” cooed Johnson.

To see if your city is in the TicketZen launch roadmap, email hi@TicketZen.com.

Say goodbye to virus-prone torrent downloads or less than legal (and low resolution) YouTube copies of HBO shows and movies. With HBO’s online network, you can now watch the finale of True Detective from your iPhone nestled in your favorite coffee house club chair, or relive the last season of Game of Thrones on a long plane flight.

HBO launched the online service last year, which allows subscribers to stream and watch any HBO show live, anytime, from various online devices.

Fans can also download full movies, behind-the-scene extras and more not available on television to any personal computing device for no additional cost, including your iPhone, iPad and Android.

And according to HBO execs, users are allowed to share their HBO Go account with non-subscribers, for now.

In regards to password sharing, HBO CEO Richard Pleper said, “To us, it’s a terrific marketing vehicle for the next generation of viewers, and to us, it is actually not material at all to business growth...It presents the brand to more and more people, and gives them an opportunity hopefully to become addicted to it. What we’re in the business of doing is building addicts, of building video addicts. The way we do that is by exposing our product, our brand, our shows, to more and more people.”

For me HBO Go is “addictive” because I'm now able to watch the high quality entertainment and documentary programming I looked forward to each Sunday, wherever and whenever I wish.

By creating a customized Watchlist, I can start a show from my laptop while getting ready for work, then switch over to my iPad when riding the T into Boston. Now in the office, AirPlay allows me to stream the show onto my TV.

Plus, HBO GO's TIVO-like feature called Series Pass, automatically sends new episodes of my favorite shows to my Watchlist. A second screen feature allows pure addicts to watch new episodes simultaneously as they premiere on HBO.

*In addition to HBOgo.com, iPhone, iPad, Android and Apple TV, you can also watch HBO online on Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo Wii, Kindle Fire, Google Play and Amazon Video, as well as on Dish Anywhere and Xfinity TV Go mobile apps.

Facebook’s recent purchase of WhatsApp, a texting application company with roughly 450 million active users worldwide, is reported to be 19 times more than Facebook paid for Instagram in 2012. This bold move could reflect Facebook’s willingness to gather more successful mobile apps before rivals Google and Apple, especially given the WhatsApp’s expansive following in India as the companies all strive to continue growing overseas.

However some loyal users of the mobile messenger are already voicing concern the free app, currently void of advertisements, will transform into something much different after the buyout.

WhatsApp Messenger uses 3G/EDGE or WIFI when available to send and receive multimedia messages such as texts and pictures, but also audio notes and video messages.

The app works with your mobile number, integrating with your existing phone address book without the need for an additional account pin and username.

Push notifications also allow users to log in/out from other computers and devices seamlessly. Even if you miss a notification or your phone is shut off, WhatsApp will save your messages offline until you view them.

Unlike many other social sharing platforms, WhatsApp does not require you to add contacts. Because your address book connects to the app, contacts who are already using WhatsApp Messenger will automatically display under your Favorites.

Now you are in position to start layering content, broadcasting messages and having fun with WhatsApp Messenger. Share locations and places, exchange contacts, add custom notification sounds and wallpapers, as well as enjoy Landscape mode, message timestamps and the ability to access email chat history.

Currently the first year of WhatsApp is free, with the service costing $0.99 each year thereafter for continued unlimited messaging regardless of the amount of information sent or received, or how many contacts in a user’s profile and Group Chats.

Group Chats are conversations on WhatsApp with more than one of your contacts. There is no limit to how many contacts can join in a group chat, plus you can add or remove participants easily.

This includes anyone in your network sharing messages from overseas, which means there are no additional charges to send international messages. I feel this is what makes WhatsApp so attractive to Big Money Brands like Facebook as Zuckerberg continues his mission to bring Internet access to the remaining ⅔ of the world currently without.

Happy (belated) Valentine's Day! With many of you preparing for a special Saturday, I've decided to share with you a Mobile App designed to help you distinguish between Endless Love or The Heat of the Moment.

Should you get it? I feel the awareness the topics in this app may provide young minds is worth a download, especially for parents looking for a tech-friendly way to communicate with their children about intimacy.

The Horny Girl App was developed by Licensed Social Worker Pandora Maclean-Hoover as a way to help her clients at the Think-Diff Institute trust their own decisions. Whether in the heat of the moment, or just in thought about their relationship, this mobile app allows users to do a quick check-in with themselves to make sure the time is right.

"HGA fosters confident decision-making in the moment. Should I, or shouldn't I? That passionate feeling, or what we call 'the horny girl running away with the situation,' can impact our lives the next day. So this app helps you to stay present by guiding your decisions one question at a time," said Pandora.

Getting started you're alerted upon download, as well as when you first open the application, of its sexual content. Then the survey begins, asking you to please rate yourself from 1 to 7 on several self-awareness topics such as...

I am lovable
I am a good person
I can trust my judgment

Based on your answers you are now provided a summary as to whether you are insecure and unsure about your ability to make this decision, or a message confirming that you trust yourself, and that the decision is YOURS.

"I've worked with many teenagers and young adults, and have discovered a big gap in what parents are telling kids and what kids will listen to from parents, as well as what they get from educational programs and what they find on their own either from talking with peers or scanning the internet. Hopefully this app will help by aiding them to think for themselves," said Pandora.

***

Learn More: The Think-Diff Institute Fosters Awareness and Promotes a Fresh Way of Thinking

In today’s consumer first digital age, where Content Remains King and the masses are always hungry for MORE, Facebook now offers a new mobile app that promises beautiful, seamless, immediate and integrated story sharing. So in this week’s APPtitude Test let’s review the app, while discovering who on Paper is sharing #Sochi2014.

Described by Facebook as, “A deck of animated cards that gracefully weaves together text, photo, and video from your friends and the web’s trending content,” I agree that Paper’s design is visually spectacular with the stories elegantly organized by topic and personalized to your interests, which in my case today is theU.S. Olympic Team.

Paper starts with your Facebook news feed. This is where you’ll find stories from friends and sources you follow. Next, you can check out other sections and drag the stories you like into your feed. This makes Paper a customizable and shareable social platform of community voices.

There are several section topics including Tech for tomorrow’s innovators, Enterprise for savvy investors and Score, “Sport news and commentary from journalist, fans and the athletes themselves.”

Similar to the Facebook app, you can still post status updates, like images and message friends, but Paper’s high-resolution photos, unfolding stories and news shares make this app a step above the rest, especially when you get to conveniently engage with the athletes themselves thanks to Paper’s seamless and immediate integration. Truly a great way to view Facebook.

The Seattle Seahawks are in position to battle the Denver Broncos today, Super Bowl Sunday. In celebration, Fox has taken down its paywall, offering a live-stream of the game to all through their Fox Sports Go iOS app. The stream starts at 10 a.m. ET with the Fox Super Bowl Kickoff show and continues into the game at 6 p.m.

Coverage of course to include all the infamous Super Bowl commercials, but I used our featured mobile app of the week to watch some of the 2014 ads in advance, as well as browse the best commercials of our yesteryears (see McDonald's ad from 1993 featuring Bird vs. Jordan).

Whether you live for the sport, or you’re in it for the beer-infused chili, everyone gathers around the watercooler come Monday to discuss the Super Bowl commercials (and the Puppy Bowl).

Since I fall into the ‘eats’ category, I’ve decided to pregame with Super Ads, an app that displays over 200 Super Bowl ads, including a few NEW 2014 commercials and trailers.

While all of these videos are hosted, played, and therefore available on YouTube, Super Ads did a great job of gathering together the Super Bowl commercials from 2006-2013, as well as highlight the most popular ads from over the last four decades.

Given the amount of content, Super Ads is well-organized, allowing users to search for a specific showstopper, browse fan favorites by year, or scroll through designated sections based on company and brand names.

Time to lift, stretch, sprint and jab your way into a fitter you, fueled by the fierce support of your New Year promises!

I know that’s at least my mantra each year. So how is it possible I start out with such conviction, yet continue to allow work to prevent me from grabbing the brass ring?

According to a new study on the Top 10 New Years resolutions for 2014, weight loss ranks number one on the list, while staying fit and healthy placed fifth. The study also shows only a small percentage of people complete their resolutions, falling off the charts as the year moves on.

I identify. Regardless of coordinating my schedule around my favorite classes, or purposely committing to programs with yearly memberships and reoccurring monthly fees, I historically gravitate to prioritizing my work over my workout.

So this year I’m exploring Real-Time accountability, scheduling and support by choosing a program in Boston that offers a fitness Mobile App.

Whether you call them resolutions, goals or intentions, we all start the New Year with the hope of acquiring more happiness, prosperity and health in the future.

As part of my resolutions, this year I’ve decided to explore mobile apps as a way not only to conveniently search and book fitness classes, but to help me stay accountable in regards to my attendance. Otherwise I wait until the last minute to stop working on a project, and forgo the class as to not disrupt the members with a late arrival.

With only a handful of Boston fitness businesses offering apps, I’ve selected North End Yoga among the lot to help kick my fitness goals into gear.

Having just downloaded the free app onto my iPad Air, I’m prompted to create an account that keeps track of the classes I’ve scheduled, my attendance, what purchases I’ve made and how much money I have left in my account. Exactly what I’m looking for, let’s get started!

The app opens to a calendar and list of available classes, which I find very impressive as the options are plentiful throughout the year. The search feature in the upper left corner also filters classes by teacher or class type.

As I click down the row, a summary defines each class, and informs me of the instructor scheduled to lead the session. I value this. Additional details make me feel more comfortable when paying for anything online.

After selecting a class I can either make a single reservation or schedule a recurring reservation…but wait! “There was an error booking Vinyasa Per Tutti. You have no available payment option.” Apparently you must prepay before you’re allowed to schedule a class.

I navigate to Get Classes, a lengthy page of packages with corresponding prices that range from $10 AM Drop In Yoga to $1650 Mysore One Year Unlimited membership. What does that mean? Scrolling down the list I don’t see my Tutti class, and unlike the schedule page, there are no descriptions to define the packages.

Since Vinyasa Flow is a form of yoga and the class is in the evening, I guess that equates to a Drop in Yoga session for $15? Let’s see, pay time.

After plugging in my credit card information I’m automatically taken back to the pricing menu, but I need to see if I just purchased the right class before paying for anything else, so I return to the scheduling page to make a single reservation. I could do without all the back and forth, but it worked and in the future I’ll look into multi-class, monthly or yearly packages that will allow me the “payment option” to more easily schedule classes.

I am now signed up for Vinyasa Per Tutti. Would I like to add this class to my calendar? Yes please. I’ll set myself a reminder and sync the business address with my mobile GPS, which will tell me approximately when I need to leave the office to make it to the class on time.

Details: This app is for either current or potential members of Redline Fight Sports to stay updated on gym news, social events and class scheduling. One of the longer running apps out of the group, created in Dec 2011.

Reviewing: Dunkin’ Donuts appBy: Dunkin’ DonutsPrice: FreePlatforms: iPhone, iPad, Android
Should you get it: If you are a Dunkies customer, absolutely.

------------------------------

Since Dunkin' Donuts has more of a blue collar image than Starbucks, the company was not as quick to embrace the app world. That said, once the popular doughnut-and-coffee chain made the move, they developed a mobile experience that rivals the one offered by its hoity toity competitor.

Like the Starbucks app, the Dunkin' app lets you put cash into a virtual gift card that can be refilled via autopayment. The app also has a store finder that ties into GPS and the ability to send gift cards. The app also offers coupons and app-only deals much like the Starbucks app.

So there's nothing revolutionary here. The Dunkin' Donuts app works like the Starbucks app, but that's not a bad thing, given that the Starbucks app offers a blueprint for how retail store apps should work.

The visual interface may even be a little crisper and easier-to-read than the Starbucks app. Dunkin' uses a very clean, minimalist interface using splashes of its trademark orange set against a white backdrop.

Overall, if you like Dunkin' Donuts, this app makes it easy to find a place to indulge your caffeine habit. Of course, there aren't too many places in Massachusetts where finding a Dunkies is a problem, but should you be in one of those remote places and find you desperately need a large iced coffee, this app will get you there with no hassle.

About Apptitude Test

Born to challenge the "status quo," with three older brothers Kathryn's first story was probably a tattle, a skill she managed to turn into a career in broadcasting. Now as a communications specialist and CEO of Peacock Media, Kathryn continues #SharingStories that grow businesses and inspire others to follow their hearts in work and life, herself included.
More »